BALTIMORE, CIRCA 1790

The overall presentation of this roll-top desk-and-bookcase is quintessential Baltimore. Most notably, the distinctive shape of the skirt is common to furniture found in the area during the Federal period. A similar apron featuring a shallow curved cut that inverts at the center and ends in French feet is seen on a chest of drawers illustrated in Baltimore Furniture: The Work of Baltimore and Annapolis Cabinetmakers from 1760-1810, (Baltimore, MD, 1947), p. 136, fig. 86.